Author: Penelope Glover

Thoughts of summer may seem premature to many but, out west, periods of warm weather often blur the line between seasons and remind us that summer is just around the corner.  For students and school staff members, preparing for summer used to mean getting ready to say goodbye to friends, teachers, and colleagues; however, with today’s technology, this is likely no longer the case for many.

Since technology now has the potential to keep people connected even during the summer break, it is important that students, parents, and teachers enter the summer with clear guidelines for using technology and maintaining appropriate summer-time boundaries.  The below guidelines may help reduce trouble that could surface during summer (or throughout the school year) when students and staff have more free time on their hands.

1.    Discuss and establish expectations before summer. Just as summer preparations often involve returning to the garden, locating the swimsuit, and planning a vacation, now is the optimal time to discuss expectations for student-student and student-staff communications during the summer.  What are considered appropriate and inappropriate behaviors?  Which applications will your child be permitted to use?  How much time should your child devote to technology use each day, and during what hours?  What are the black and white rules which may have legal consequences if violated (e.g., impersonation, sexting, bullying, hacking, etc.)?  Is it a good idea for staff members to be communicating online with students?

2.    Be a positive example. If you want your child or student to use technology for positive purposes, then model appropriate communications through your own online communications.  When using social media, for example, refrain from engaging in online rants, posting putdowns, and promoting sexually explicit or discriminatory comments and images.  When you encounter inappropriate communications, discuss the impact of such communications with your child, if appropriate.

3.    Avoid secret communications. Whether through instant messaging, texts, or social media, communications between two or more friends or between a student and teacher should not be secret.  As a parent of school-aged children, it is your business and obligation to know with whom your children are communicating.  Communications made through today’s technology are not akin to yesterday’s diary, which was incapable of “going viral.”  If you are a staff member, you should generally not be communicating with students during the summer.  If you must use technology to communicate about a legitimate school-related topic, however, make sure you communicate during reasonable business hours and that you involve parents in your communications.  Your career and reputation may depend upon such precautions.

4.    Maintain professional standards. Summer break does not mean that staff members can abandon their professional standards.  At least one state appellate court has found that a teacher’s off-duty online conduct “surely would have washed over into . . . [the teacher’s] professional life and interfered with his ability to serve as a role model.”  (San Diego Unified School District v. Commission on Professional Competence (Lampedusa) (2011) 194 Cal. App. 4th 1454.)  While it may seem unfair to hold teachers to a higher standard, they are role models and should behave accordingly, even when communicating online and while taking a well-deserved break from school.

5.    Maintain personal standards and manage your reputation. Teachers are not the only ones whose professional and personal lives can be hampered by inappropriate online conduct which occurs when off-duty.  Even during the summer, students should be diligent about maintaining high personal standards and managing their reputations.  To this end, students should remember that “private” communications have a great potential to embarrass and become public.

As you wrap up this school year and prepare for the summer, consider these guidelines and the role technology will have during your summer break.  Then, take proactive steps to protect your student and yourself.  A little planning will go a long way when it comes to technology use this summer.

Source: iKeepSafe